Disclaimer: This text was written by individuals and not agreed with the whole cast. There is no authorized group and no quorum that could decide ‘official group opinions’ for the occupation. People in the occupation and its environment have diverse and sometimes controversial opinions. This diversity of opinion is therefore not censored here, but can stand side by side on an equal footing. No text speaks for the whole community or is necessarily approved by the whole community.
Quote Taz.de on militancy in the climate movement:
“Does the climate movement need to become more radical? That is the wrong question. Radicalism is not an end in itself. The question is how to win more people from different milieus for a climate policy that corresponds to the reality of the climate crisis. So that at the next election the majority doesn’t say again that the climate is really important to them, but doesn’t vote accordingly.”=> https://taz.de/Klimabewegung-und-Radikalitaet/!5818080/
The problem is that elections will never overcome capitalism. Radicalism is not an end in itself, that may be. But we still need strategies for breaking through capitalist constraints and their normalcy.
Here are a few thoughts:
We should recognize that our task is not to convince more people of our ideas, but to break open the concreted social discourse to give ideas room to grow. In doing so, it is not imperative to convince people of our own ideas or to change their opinions, because in capitalism, opinions are not the cause of people’s actions, but their alibi. Opinions are adapted so as not to have to admit to being part of the oppressive system ourselves. Instead, we need to get people back to developing their own ideas, and fighting for them.
So the strategic question is not how to bring more people into our struggles, but how to make our struggles break the normality in society to strengthen other emerging struggles and ideas, without forgetting to sustain our own struggles and realize our ideas.
Visibility is the best tool to influence society. When actions act as signals of disorder and shatter the illusion of social peace, they break through normality, and are thus visible. At the same time, such actions also separate us from society. It is not possible to attack the system without disrupting society. However, society is not the real problem, but it reproduces the existing capitalist constraints.
The goal, therefore, is to make actions that serve as an invitation to others to become accomplices… Whether sympathetic or smiling, if they offer their support or take to the streets, then we have brought them on board, whether they all share our ideas or not.
But as long as we see ourselves only as political subjects who participate in demonstrations, and are organized in groups along with people who mostly share the same ideas as ourselves – and this acts as a substitute for forming actual relationships with people and thus creating networks that allow us to choose forms of action that allow us to break through social normality, we will remain largely isolated political subjects and groups.
Networks are stronger than hierarchies.
Our networks are strong when each unit has a multitude of connections, rather than there being only a few nodes through which all connections run.
Asking “what vision or plan will society be organized around after capitalism?” doesn’t get us anywhere.
We will be stronger than ever if we learn to understand that not everyone will act as we do – nor as we wish them to do. Our effectiveness lies not in making the whole world thinking and doing the same, but in finding the best way to relate in a complementary way with those who are different and have their own ideas.
We are then an intelligent and self-organizing organism as long as we all make plans, share visions and ideas, and take initiatives. All forms of organization will always have to be shaped freshly between the people who want to organize themselves.
Don’t rely on others creating plans, evolving ideas and telling you what to do!
But also don’t judge others for not doing what you want them to do or not supporting your ideas to the fullest! Do it yourself!
Nor should we limit ourselves to creating a system that replaces the existing system or creating an infrastructure that makes the existing infrastructure obsolete.
If we consider the physical realization of our projects and ideas as a victory, we will adopt a conservative attitude and try to save or protect these projects, losing sight of what constitutes their greatest value:
Our projects are useful when we use them to break through social normalcy.
Sure, we’ll physically lose a lot of what we create, but that’s okay, because they’re not there to be preserved, they’re there to teach us new skills and give society visions of new possible worlds.
What needs to be preserved are the ideas and solutions we create in our projects and the networks we build.
Because only then can we build on you, develop our ideas further and realize new projects again and again.
So that our projects and actions are places where we honestly express our visions of a different world.
Danni lives!